Robbinsdale Cooper hands Chaska its first league loss of season

By Luke Hanlon, SportsEngine , 02/12/19, 2:00PM CST

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With Aja Wheeler's game-high 26-point effort, Cooper evened its season series with Chaska.

Aja Wheeler (2) led all players with 26 points on Tuesday night, as Robbinsdale Cooper handed Chaska its first league loss with a 75-70 win to avenge a loss earlier in the season. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

It’s common to hear coaches and players say they're taking things one game at a time. It’s a way to keep focused on their next opponent, instead of looking too far forward and taking the competition lightly.

Aja Wheeler of Robbinsdale Cooper (14-7, 9-1) lifted her Hawks past Chaska (18-4, 10-1) in a 75-70 victory on Tuesday night by somewhat breaking that rule. With just five first-half points, and Chaska leading 37-36 at the break, Wheeler went off for 21 points in the second half to finish with a game-high 26 points, leading her team to a vital Metro West Conference win.

She explained what changed for her at halftime.

“(I realized) that if we don’t win, we’re going to have to play more games for state to get there. So it’s either work hard now or work hard later,” she said.

Photo Gallery: Robbinsdale Cooper vs. Chaska

She thought of potential matchups down the line to give her extra motivation to beat Chaska, ranked No. 7 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, which now leads the Metro West standings by half a game.

Cooper coach Kiara Buford knew Wheeler was capable of turning things around after a quiet first half.

“I think she knows and understands when it’s time to take over, and that’s (when she) shines,” Buford said.

Wheeler also had 10 rebounds, earning her a double-double, in addition to three assists and a trio of steals.

Perhaps the biggest thing motivating No. 7-3A Cooper was the 68-63 loss it suffered at home to Chaska in mid-January. Buford said she wanted her team to treat the rematch like a must-win game, emphasizing the importance of battling for a third-straight Metro West title.

“I take the season in parts. You focus on the nonconference and then the conference is like a new season to us, and our goal is to win a championship,” she said.

Chaska was on the wrong side of a five-point game this time. Chaska coach Tara Seifert said Cooper scored better this time around, and part of that was due to Chaska’s defense.

“One of our strengths all year has been containing teams. I think we’re holding teams to usually 50 points or below, so clearly we allowed them to score,” she said. “We struggled to defend off the dribble against them.”

The bright spot for Chaska was Destinee Bursch, who led her team with a season-high 25 points.

Chaska and Cooper have now taken turns handing each other their first conference loss of the season. Separated by just a half game in the standings, the pressure is on both teams to win out to try and get a share of the league crown.

Seifert is embracing the tough challenges left this season. Chaska plays No. 2-4A Wayzata on Thursday, then finishes the season with three conference games.

“I love that we have tough matchups. It prepares us for section play,” she said. “I think we’re fully capable of winning out in the conference, so it should be interesting to see what happens in the end.”

As for Cooper, Wheeler kept it simple when describing what she expects out of the final four conference games.

“We just have to finish it off strong, how we started,” she said.

First Report

Robbinsdale Cooper picked up a vital Metro West Conference victory on the road as it beat Chaska, ranked No. 7 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, 75-70 on Tuesday night.

In a back-and-forth battle, the largest lead for either side was six points, and the majority of the game was played with either team leading by one possession.

At halftime, Chaska (18-4, 10-1) had a one-point lead, with No. 7-3A Cooper’s leading scorer, Aja Wheeler, held to just five points. Her shots, however, started falling into the basket routinely in the second half and she finished with a game-high 26 points.

Both teams shot over 43 percent from the field, but when it got down to crunch time Cooper (14-7, 9-1) was able to make some key stops to maintain its lead.

Cooper was nearly flawless from the free-throw line, making 9 of 10 attempts in the final 70 seconds of the game. Its one miss was rebounded by Andrea Tribble, who killed precious seconds off the game clock after securing the miss.